Roles and Types of Airports
The United States of America is a country blessed with one of the most advanced airport systems in the world. Comprised of almost 20,000 airfields ranging from public use to private military instillations, this complex airport system is vital to the success of our aviation industry. There are many different types of airports in this system. Each plays a different but vital role with their varying functions. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS) organizes airfields into different categories. Three most popular types of airfields that you can find today include commercial service airports, reliever airports, and general aviation airports. Each type has distinct characteristics and criteria that need to be met to fall into their respective categories. Even though their roles differ and are comprised of varying facilities, users, workers, and regulations each has an important place in the national airport system.
First we will look at commercial services airports. The NPIAS defines these airfields as ones that accommodate commercial air service from scheduled air carriers. These airports are often located next to major population centers. Almost every passenger that flew in 2009 traveled through a commercial service airport by it being their departure, arrival, or transfer point on their journey. These airports with their variety and large scope of operations have to meet many challenges to achieve their overall objective of the safe movement of people and cargo to multiple population centers. (Young & Wells, 2011)
About half of the commercial service airports located in the U.S. fall under another category called primary airports. The NPIAS defines these airports as enplanin...
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...passengers when compared to other airfields. GA airports are airfields more commonly known by recreational/business pilots and travelers. With GA airports varying difference between each other, they can meet roles and objectives specific to their individual needs. Lastly, the last type of airport is a reliever airport. This special type of GA airport is often located in close proximity to busy commercial service airports in populated areas. Their convenience and accessibility make them an attractive option for business and general aviation operations when compared to a busy commercial airport. All these different types of airports serve a unique function in the national airport system. Each airport plays a unique role and when combined with all other types of airfields create a synergy that allows our aviation industry to function efficiently and effectively.
The difference between the airport when it was first built is not drastic, but many things have upgraded. Fly.mcw.com said when the
This report calling for constructing an on-site childcare facility for employees of BWI Airport is workable and could be fully implemented by September 1. This report discusses the plan’s background, benefits, problems, costs, and time frame. Specifically, the report seeks answers to these questions:
...fore each of our flight, it is necessary for us to choose one or several alternate. This is helpful for our safety. There are many stories and a lot of people had been died since the recently 100 years because of not following the rules. We need to learn something from this, then we can avoid these things happening again, maybe it can save many people’s lives. Choosing an alternate airport, it is quite important for us during our flight. None of us can find out the things that will happen in the future, so we had better to be well prepared. We can choose an alternate airport every time before our flight, so if we have something wrong with the weather or aircraft, we still have many choices. It is quite useful for our flight.
Los Angeles was a very different world in the tumultuous era of the 1930’s and 1940’s. There were many things that made the headlines, not all of them outstanding events to be remembered for their daring or heartwarming abilities. In 1930, LAX was opened in Mines Field, so named for the real estate agent that secured the deal for the 640 acres in southern Westchester to be converted into landing strips instead of fields of wheat, barley and lima beans, as the field was prior. The city bought it as a municipal airfield in 1937, and the airport continued as Mines Field until 1941 when it changed to Los Angeles Airport, then to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in 1949. Although LAX is currently a world renowned airport, it wasn’t always the center of attention. Prior to its inception, the primary airports for Los Angeles were Burbank and Grand Central Airport in Glendale. It wasn’t until 1946 that they started serving LAX, because it was just too far out of the way. At that time, it was located east of Sepulveda Boulevard, which ended up being rerouted to the west to loop around the new runways that were created in 1950. Nowadays, LAX is considered one of the busiest airports in the world, with nearly 60 million passengers using the airport each year. They also have a dual function as a civil-military base, providing the U. S. Coast Guard an area to launch, operate and repair their HH-65 Dolphin helicopters. (Delta Mike Airfield, 2008). Although the birth of LAX is a notable part of history in L.A., it was only the beginning of many not-so-good firsts for the city.
Challenged by an old, obsolete airport, the city of Denver decided on not only doing an expansion but ultimately building a fully dedicated facility in an entirely new location. Twice the size of Manhattan, the airport was to be the largest in the United States and was specially designed to handle concentrated hubbing traffic (Montealgre et al, 1996, p.4). The master plan encompassed a fast tracked build-design scheme that called for utmost operational efficiency which would consequently attract large airlines to choose DIA as their main Southwestern hub (Nice, n.d.). Dominance of the DIA would fuel an economic boom in Denver, but for this to take place—a fast passenger turnover would be required, leading to the perception that they had to implement an airport-wide automated baggage handling system in spite of the known risks. This critical piece of the airport wou...
The evolution of airport security would evolve over time just as airline safety. There would be a series of unfortunate events that would affect the way all airports operated. Prior to these events passengers would simply show up with their luggage and ticket and get on the plane, no screening or baggage checks were conducted. The FAA and the Federal Government had taken many steps by passing numerous pieces of legislation to address aircraft safety to reduce the number of accidents; however aircraft security was never addressed in all previously passed legislation. As the number of air travelers increased year by year, so did the potential for crimes against the airlines. These crimes included aircraft bombing and hijackings.
Focus on underserved markets and large metropolitan areas, utilizing underutilized airports with less congestion adding to the ability to remain on the ground in less time.
Airport planning, once carried out utilizing a single future forecast, failed to account for the complexity and uncertainty of the aviation industry. Today, it is widely assumed airport success can only be met through the utilization of a flexible, integrated planning approach that sees forecasts as incorrect.
Airports can be considered as important national resources of most countries in the world. The main responsibility of an airport is in transportation of people and goods and in internal and global business. They are where the nation’s aviation system connects with other modes of transportation and where state responsibility for managing and regulating air traffic operations intersects with the role of governments that own and operate most airports. However, most major airports are owned and operated by the private sectors. This is due to several reasons such as to improve efficiency and economic performance, be more competitive as well as to maximize the community’s return from the airport assets in which public enterprise found out to be less efficient in term of its production and management.
Stakeholders are those groups or individual in society that have a direct interest in the performance and activities of business. The main stakeholders are employees, shareholders, customers, suppliers, financiers and the local community. Stakeholders may not hold any formal authority over the organization, but theorists such as Professor Charles Handy believe that a firm’s best long-term interests are served by paying close attention to the needs of each of these stakeholders. The modern view is that a firm has responsibilities to all its stakeholders i.e. everyone with a legitimate interest in the company. These include shareholders, competitors, government, employees, directors, distributors, customers, sub-contractors, pressure groups and local community. Although a company’s directors owes a legal duty to the shareholders, they also have moral responsibilities to other stakeholder group’s objectives in their entirely. As a firm can’t meet all stakeholders’ objectives in their entirety, they have to compromise. A company should try to serve the needs of these groups or individuals, but whilst some needs are common, other needs conflict. By the development of this second runway, the public and stakeholders are affected in one or other way and it can be positive and negative.
The heart begins racing the moment the car pulls into the airport parking lot. The smell of jet fuel, automobile exhaust, and hot tarmac combine to assault the senses with images of exotic escapes and the kind of freedom that can only come from airports. I feel the thrum of the engines at takeoff and the vibration of the plane during the flight in my skin. I see people listening to MP3s and playing video games. I hear the couple behind me chatting about the weather in Florida and the possibility of rain. I recognize the smell of fading perfume that women are wearing. Chanel, Windsong and White Diamonds clash with the smell of popcorn and Quizno sandwiches.
As the fixed-based operator of your airport, I am writing to encourage you to take the time to consider some recommendations for developing and improving on the security measures that are currently in place at your facility. As you are probably aware, there is no way to prescribe a reasonable one-size-fits-all security plan for every general aviation airport (Transportation Security Authority, 2004. p.2). A thorough review of the services and conditions found at your airport, however, has made possible a list of logical suggestions that could prove to be beneficial to its overall level of security.
Airports are vast facilities covering many acres of land where passenger beginning the flight portions of their travels. The first flight by the Wright brothers in Kitty Hawk, NC in 1903 only required a runway. As the technology of flight advanced to offer passenger service, there was soon a need for a building to manage passenger needs. Airports of today provide many key services needed for the traveler whether they are beginning, transferring, or ending their journeys. The demand for air transportation rises each year, according to the Department of Transportation (United States Department of Transportation, 2013) 815.3 passengers traveled by airplanes in 2012. With the demand expected to rise, airports must be able to keep pace with services. There are many different services provided however, this report will discuss terminal design, baggage handling, and ground access.
In 1958, the United States government created the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) because of increasing safety concerns due to aviation accidents. However, they were not the first government organization that regulated air transportation. Even in 1958, the FAA shared certain responsibilities with other organizations. The responsibilities of the FAA at the time were limited when compared to their functions today, but it was an important step to effectively create a safe air transportation environment. To truly understand why the FAA was created, one must first understand the government’s role within the country’s transportation system.
The competitive advantage of an airport depends on five core factors, namely the Spatial, Facility, Demand, Service and Managerial factor. The Spatial factor refers to the level of regional development surrounding and around the airport, for example, an international trade zones, convention centres, and other facilities. Facility factors are the level of facilities and the airport’s ability to expand and increased its facilities. Demand factor refers to the level of origin-destination demand and that of transit and transfer traffic volumes for hub-and-spoke network. Service factor refers to the...